Audio Processors

While most people build their home theater setup on a limited budget, the highest performing home theater system can cost more than $100,000. Rather than using an AV receiver to decode the audio, high-end home theater setups are powered by separate audio processors and amplifiers.

Audio processors are designed to decode 3D object audio (Dolby Atmos or DTS:X) as accurately as possible for a given room and speaker setup. The latest and greatest audio processors are capable of supporting a very large number of discrete speaker channels. For example, a typical consumer Dolby Atmos speaker setup could use 5 listener-level speakers plus 4 height speakers and 1 Low Frequency Effects subwoofer, as shown on the left (5.1.4). A high-end home theater could use as many as 24 listener-level speakers plus 10 height speakers (24.1.10). Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio are made up of a combination of a surround sound bed mix (typically 5.1 or 7.1), plus additional object tracks. Each object track has metadata that describes the position of the object in 3D space. Audio processors decode Dolby object audio tracks, placing the object in the right position in the room by adjusting the volume level for that object in every one of the speakers (mixing all of the object tracks with the surround sound bed mix). To do this accurately in a very large system, you need a very powerful audio processor.

Audio processors will typically provide a very sophisticated room calibration function, allowing the installer to adjust the system to the characteristics of the room, and the specific characteristics and placement of the speakers.